Almora: The closure of a pharmaceutical company in Almora without prior notice has put the future of over 150 employees in jeopardy.The employees have alleged that company fooled them by closed down without clearing their salaries and allowances.The employees of Alps Pharmaceuticals Private Limited, the oldest pharmaceuticals company of Kumaon division, have been staging protests for the past seven days demanding salaries and other perks.Puran Singh Bhandari, president of Alps Shramik Sangathan, told TOI, “We have not received salaries for the past seven months and the company has cheated us in several ways. The company continued to cut the Employee Provident Fund from our salaries, but never deposited it into the accounts. Our only source of earning is now gone and our future is in the dark.”He added that if the company doesn’t clear the salaries and allowances, they would sit on hunger strike.Earlier, in October, the regional office of the Employee Provident Fund had lodged an FIR against the company under sections 406 and 409 of Indian Penal Code.Vikram Bohra, enforcement officer of EPFO said, “The company’s proprietors should be arrested for such rigging but he is absconding. We would have deducted money from the company’s account but their balance I zero.”Raghunath Singh Chauhan, Almora MLA and deputy speaker of Uttarakhand Assembly, told TOI, “We have spoken to finance minister Prakash Pant about the issue and are trying to find a way out. We have asked the district administration to take action against the company.”Almora district magistrate Nitin Singh Bhadauria said, “It’s a very complex case. The owner has dues of at least Rs 20 crore in over several banks and there is also a case against them in the labour court. So it needs to be decided by the government.”Meanwhile, opposition parties tried to gherao the government over the issue. “The factory is shutting down due to negligence of managers and the government. The government should clear all the dues of the employees and the company should start functioning again,” said PC Tiwari, president of Uttarakhand Parivartan Party.

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